Champ
by Boooyakasha
Summary: As a reward for his hard work, Athos receives a pesky but adorable four legged gift to serve as his sidekick- Warning: contains much fluffiness and good natured humour.
1. Unpleasant Peacefulness

**So this was not the intended ****'****secret fic****'**** I was working on during ****'****Blinded by the Light,****'**** but I was **_**so **_**into this plot-lines' potential, that I only wrote the 5 page skeleton for the other one!**

**I hope you like this shorter fic anyway!**

It was middle of July and the sun was beating down on the city of Paris in a merciless manner.

The humidity and lack of wind had only served to intensify these miserably sticky conditions, leading to short tempers and pointless scuffles over water supplies while each man fought his _own _inner demons to keep a hold of his sanity.

In an attempt to avoid such a fate, Athos was lazily tending to his stabled mount, finding small pleasures in the silence, shade and lowered temperatures -thanks in part to the lack joined beams in the walls- a heavenly trade off in comparison to the stuffy indoors.

Picking up his brush to clean down his mare, Athos suddenly spied a few holes in the blanket that rested on her back.

Curious he picked it up gingerly and brought them under closer observation.

_He had only bought this blanket recently for the up and coming months of fall, how could they be so moth eaten already?_

Usually a man that would notice such details, Athos was slightly miffed that he had somehow missed these signs and bought the expensive, 'all weather' blanket anyways.

Sighing in an attempt to shrug off his temper before it could grow, Athos strode across the straw ground to the bag of horse feed, picking up its hefty weight and leaning it on top of his shoulder as he went to fill the trough, pouring in a healthy amount and then turning to replace it.

It was in doing so that Athos noticed a trail of horse feed in an arc on the ground, leading from the storage to the trough.

Narrowing his eyes in suspicion, Athos took his bag of feed off his shoulders and studied every detail, quickly taking in the continuously flowing seed that fell from a hole in its bottom corner as he held it aloft.

_Rats_! Athos surmised, a double meaning to the word now that he realized they had an unsuspecting visitor or two taking up residence with their horses.

Not bothering to waste any time, Athos immediately went in search for the vermin, checking high and low, stepping cautiously so as not to scare them should they be watching.

He simply couldn't allow the idea to let them fester and multiply, they would eat them from the inside out should that be the case! He did like the openness of the stables but that didn't mean he wanted holes drilled right through the woodwork.

It was at this moment that a daring rodent reared its head at Athos, revealing its body as the hay pushed up around it.

Athos launched himself at the rat, literally grasping for straws as he tried to pull the bothersome creature from its new burrow.

Despite his best efforts, the rat was quicker and Athos landed empty handed on his front. Undeterred, he scrambled to his feet and ran after it, bent at the waist as his eyes followed its trek.

This proved to be a mistake as Athos lack of attention to his surrounding lead him to trip on a rut in the floor, sending him flying forwards to shove his left boot into a bucket of stagnant, filthy water, sloshing it up his leg.

Now highly annoyed by the nuisance the rat was causing him but ever the more motivated, Athos sped from his position to the last known area of the rat, glimpsing its tail disappear through a hole in the floor beam ahead.

Drawing his pistol from its holster, Athos shoved it down the hole into the rats den, ready for it to be done with when Aramis voice called out behind him, "A little over the top, don't you think, Athos?"

Whirling around in embarrassment, Athos shot a glare at Aramis and hauled himself to his feet, still annoyed in the back of his mind that the rat had survived to live another day -and eat more horse feed he fumed.

"Not in the slightest, Aramis, I merely found it logical and in the best interests of others that I erase this vermin from the face of the earth. You do know what they will do if we just leave them in peace" Athos reasoned.

"What, and blowing them to pieces along with the wooden beams that support the place is better?" Aramis countered in a teasing manner, hands on hips, eyebrows raised in a challenge.

_He did like a good verbal fight with Athos__'__ wits once in a while, he couldn__'__t always allow the man to think he were right on every subject lest he get pig headed and develop into one of the maniacs they often sought to bring to justice._

"A little forethought goes a long way, brother" Athos replied stonily, trying to evade Aramis barb. _It was too hot for this._

"Sure, whatever you say" Aramis teased, crossing his arms across his chest and shaking his head, unconvinced but not wanting to push it further. _It was much too hot for this._

Tired of trying to convince his brother, Athos inquired, "To what do I owe the pleasure anyway, Aramis? You don't usually like the muck of the stables"

"Oh no, brother, I indeed do not" Aramis agreed with a smile, "I just wanted to inform you that Treville has ordered us to attend the majesties games this coming hour on his palace lawn"

Athos' scowl deepened at this, "In the sun?" he stated, already knowing the dreadful answer.

"I'm afraid so" Aramis confirmed, matching Athos' expression. Shaking his head, Aramis pointed his finger to Athos' wet leg and boot, "You may want to attend to that first before we depart" he suggested.

"And what if I like it wet" Athos challenged, wiggling his toes in his sodden boot, the cool liquid sloshing around inside.

"Have fun with a fungal infection then" Aramis muttered in frustration and left Athos to his devices, missing the disgusted look on Athos face and then the frown as he accepted he must venture back into the heated garrison to change.

Sighing, Athos stomped out of the stables, left foot making a squishing noise every step of the way.

**I hope I stayed true to Athos****'**** character in this, let me know if I need to tweak it to keep it real. I do hope you liked the humour however, so please leave a review and let me know!**


	2. Roasted & Razzed

**Thanks for the follows and faves! Here****'****s a short ****'****midway****'**** chapter to keep you going!**

Chapter 2: Roasted & Razzed

As an esteemed soldier of the king and part of one of the most respected units within the musketeers regiment, Athos merely endured the skyrocketing temperatures with a disgruntled frown on his face, the only indicator that he too was subject to external forces.

Unable to move, seek shade or strip of their heavy uniforms, Athos, Porthos, Aramis and D'artagnan suffered miserably under the intense gaze of the direct sunlight, forced to stand to attention for hours on end as the king played croquet under the shade of an umbrella, knocking balls through hoops on his perfectly trimmed lawn.

Though he was sure he would never hear the end of their moans and groans about the unfairness of guard duty later on that night, Athos relished in these moments of heated silence, his growing headache lessening slightly as his fuzzy mind drifted away from the hellish position.

No amount of pay, respect, women or wine could seek to comfort the mens' spiralling moods as they stood in silence, rocking on the balls of their feet to keep the blood in their stiff legs while they watched on as the king played on in ignorant bliss.

Sweat pouring down the inside of their jackets to itch their skin in the most uncomfortable of places, Athos began to think that not even Aramis, with his well maintained hygiene and bottled perfumes would be able to remove the body odour they were cooking up today.

_They would surely pay for their apparent nonchalance attendance later, imagining they could procure a sunburn that rival even the brightest of red parrots he had seen abroad._

_Oh how he wished he could find some shade and a glass of cool, refreshing water._

**~o0o~**

As he had predicted, six hours later in the stuffy confines of the tavern, Athos was forced to endure the ongoing bickering of his friends as they let loose a storm of cusses and human rights rants at the day just passed.

He would have smiled at their discomfort had it not been for his blistered skin that threatened to crack and peel, should he attempt and expression of any kind.

And so he settled for becoming a human sponge, soaking up as many liquids-specifically wine- as he could, that the tavern had to offer.

Only when he was well and truly drunk did Athos decide to move his newly stiffened legs from their propped position on the stool across from him.

_Though he highly doubted Treville would call them in for active duty again tomorrow, he couldn__'__t risk losing any sleep to restore his depleted strength should he decide to do so._

And so with a pocketful of change strewn on the table, Athos stumbled up to his room, brothers in tow, their whining having graduated to drunken grumbles and disjointed arguments about the inferior values of croquet, before finally, they fell onto their beds and quickly drifted off into slumber.

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	3. Magnificent Mad Margaret

**Wow there****'****s a lot of visitors to this story, im going to take that as a good sign and continue with this plot line ;) after all, its barely begun ;) poor Athos**

Opening his bleary eyes and squinting against the early light of the sun that shone threateningly over the horizon, Athos stumbled to his unsteady feet, quickly attending to his first order of business in the lavatory, bending over the bowl and expelling all manners of liquids he could manage before placing a hand on his pounding head.

_Wine had not been the wisest solution to his problems last night, it seemed._

Wiping a hand across his sweat stained brow, Athos took a glance at his dreadful appearance in the cracked mirror ahead.

It looked like he had attempted twelve rounds with the back end of a horse and lost; his heavily sunburnt, red skin matching his blood shot eyes while his greasy hair that stuck up in every direction and a shadow of a beard grasped at his jaw line -completing his 'homeless drunk' fashion.

The fact that he had at some point torn his now dishevelled shirt and left his suspenders handing down the lengths of his thighs only served to complement his new look.

_God forbid he stand in the shadows, unless he wanted to give someone a heart attack or provoke search for the new monster in town, _Athos rolled his watering eyes.

Perhaps he _had _gone twelve rounds with a horse and lost he contemplated more seriously, _he could hardly remember what had happened after all, let alone what direction was up what with the hangover he was now sporting._

Groaning quietly, Athos exited the lavatory and shuffled to a stop to stare at the half opened door to his room, debating whether or not he should be so cruel as to tip his peacefully sleeping brothers out of bed.

Reminding himself that he would have to put up with their obnoxious banter for an extra few hours, Athos wisely chose on the latter and turned to head down the stairs. _A good full meal would do him good, and a big cup of fresh water would probably help too. _

**~o0o~**

Just when Athos' mood was beginning to pick up and his body slowly relaxed at the relief provided by his new source of nourishment, Treville burst in through the doors, eyes searching the few occupants quickly before landing on Athos.

Athos cringed inwardly as Treville hastily paced over to his lounging position at the back wall.

_Why couldn__'__t he catch a break lately!?_

Meeting Treville with an expectant gaze, his captain wasted no time in reporting newly acquired information on the status of Duchess Margaret Lowell of Caen; a powerful woman -and cousin of the queen- who rumour had it, had set about visiting her relatives some time soon.

According to Treville, that 'some time soon,' was right now and considering that her visit had not been officially organized, he'd had no time to establish a suitable escort for her royal protection.

Treville looked pleadingly at Athos, a question on his lips but hesitant to ask it at seeing his mans current state.

Sighing inwardly, Athos nodded his acceptance of the task, rising as quickly as he could and following a grateful looking Treville back out of the dining area and down to the stables while he continued to impart to Athos' his foremost priorities and duties for the day.

Reaching his tied mount in the stables, Treville offered him a final nod of thanks and wishes of good luck on his new mission.

Athos sped his horse to a gallop down the empty streets of Paris towards his destination, berating himself over his loyalty and obedience.

Though they were respected traits for a man to have and often gained him a fine status as a musketeer and skilled fighter, he doubted they would offer any comfort in the events that lay ahead.

It would have been _so _easy to just use the valid excuse regarding his poor condition and let some other poor soul carry out the task for him.

_But oh no, not him. No, Athos of the kings musketeers must carry out every task handed to him. Well now he was going to pay for it._

_Why did royals have to be a royal pain in the ass!? _Athos almost cried aloud in anguish.

He had already suffered at the injustice dealt out by the sun -as if it were punishment for some unknown deed- and now he must entertain this Margaret woman, no doubt a snooty, over fed, pompous woman with an inflated ego. All. Day. Long.

_He almost wished the sun would burn him to a crisp than deal with her nagging talk for another twelve hours, _Athos thought hopefully, his frown deepening as he spotted the back of the one and only Duchess Margaret while she tried to step out of her carriage and refrain from getting her skirts caught in the door, ahead of him at the end of the street.

As Athos approached, he found himself pleasantly surprised to find that his earlier assumptions were somewhat off, inspecting the young woman and taking in her richly coloured skin tone, the golden ringlets cascading over a single shoulder to rest at the top of her elegant but simple white dress that hinted at her finely shaped figure.

Concealing the shock on his face, Athos quickly dismounted and knelt on the ground before her as she began to turn from the carriage steps.

Piercing green eyes met his when he dared to look up, an infectious smile spreading across her face as she looked down upon his gentlemanly gesture.

_Perhaps today would not be as horrible as he had initially thought, _Athos pondered, matching her expression with a friendly smile as he rose to his full height by her side.

_He could get used to this guard detail thing._

**I****'****d like to point out here that these feminine details are stereotypical and not worth wasting time pursuing, everyone is perfect the way they are! I merely sought to ****'****over perfect-ify?****'**** (can****'****t think of the word) her qualities in this****…****so I could leave a twist! ;)**

**Anyways, please leave a review!**


	4. Decieved

**Thanks for the follows and faves! Here's the next chapter! **

Unfortunately, it seemed Athos had once again been a little too rash in his judgements over this seemingly heavenly woman, greeting her on such a level and friendly playing field.

Athos reflected in anguish as he peered out from between the hanging drapes of a shop window, searching the street for her looming presence.

_Since when had a beautiful face a exquisite feminine body done him any favours in his past life? Looks got you nowhere in life, it was courage and loyalty he admired in a woman more than anything._

Athos paused on his thoughts and seriously considered that perhaps he was losing his touch. He dismissed it just as quickly.

A noise from behind him suddenly caught his attention and he whirled around just in time to find Margaret place her thin arms on either side of his head.

"There you are, silly! What on earth are you doing to those ugly drapes?" she challenged playfully, her eyes alight with amusement.

Athos coughed nervously as he quickly ducked out from under the arms that sought to hold him prisoner.

"Nothing, Madame, I was merely… surveying the street beyond for any possible threats" he struggled, eyes darting anywhere but at her own.

_He had never felt so trapped and vulnerable in his entire life! Well, then again__…_

Margaret placed a silken hand over her heart at his statement, smile drooping as she cocked her head to the side, her expression melting into one of heart felt sincerity.

"You are such a kind and noble gentleman, Athos, of the kings musketeers. Always thinking of me, first and foremost" she replied, her voice dropping to that seductively low octave once again and causing Athos' hair to raise on his neck in alarm.

He had not intended for such an innocent statement to translate to so lust driven to his female companion. This was merely a mission, he was sure no threats would come of it.

_Unless you considered the duchess a threat -a plausible theory which was becoming more likely by the minute_ Athos corrected.

_Why did she continue to misinterpret and twist his every word! This was outrageously inappropriate conduct for such a lady to impose on a musketeer- and he was sure she knew it too- taking advantage over the fact that he could not leave her side as she shopped among the stalls._

It would seem that Margaret had become bored a little more than half way through their tour and settled her darker sights on the ruggedly handsome man catering to her every wish.

She had been ever so lonely in her large estate at home and as luck had it was still seeking a husband as of late -much to the horror of Athos who continued to evade and allude her obvious advances.

_She could play this game as long as he liked, she always got what she wanted and she wasn__'__t about to give up now _she mused with a sly grin.

Snatching him by the collar before he could escape her arms reach again, Margaret twirled him around to face her and quickly leant in for the kill…or kiss as she perceived it, hoping to disarm his defences by sending his senses into overdrive.

It did not work however, to her misfortune and his relief, as Athos' last minute thinking allowed him to place his head down on her shoulder instead, arms wrapping her softly in an embrace.

_Surely a hug would do? _Athos pleaded silently to the powers that be.

Taken off guard by the manoeuvre, Margaret found herself relaxing in his embrace. She would have stayed there too if not for the hideous smell that the heat had caused him.

Stepping back abruptly, Margaret looked over her man, as dashing as he was, he _did _look a little worse for wear thanks to the seasons relentless rays.

An idea popping into her mind, she snatched at his hand and dragged him out of the cool shaded drape store, across the now bustling street and into a store serving items of clothing and fragrances. _Perfect_!

Athos' face was a look of terror as he glanced at the array of bottled perfumes and hideously coloured garments.

Unable to dissuade his masters' goals, Athos soon found himself free of his hot leather jacket and donning a particularly ugly but loosely fitting, yellow silken poncho of sorts, its red tassels hanging down to his belt.

Before he could protest, the duchess then began applying a white, sweet smelling paste to his face and arms, and though he may have enjoyed its soothing effects on his burns-in the confines of his room- in public it only sought to draw the attention of every man, woman and child on the street that day.

Hanging his head in shame as she grinned up at him approvingly, Athos shuffled to follow her into the next store.

_At least if she is set on providing me comfort, she may forget about trying to bed me _Athos prayed, eyes ever tracing her movements so she could not surprise him ever again.

_Only a few more hours _he noted, _then he could get the hell away from her, _he only hoped time would fly by.

**Please leave a review!**


	5. The Box

**Trying to beat my deadlines here for season 2 before my focused mind gets distracted by new plot line potentials! So here's another fast update! Hope you like it!**

The hours seemed to _drag _by for Athos as he followed his woman obediently from one store to another.

_Aramis would have been perfect for this task, not I _Athos speculated, _he__'__s the one obsessed with women, clothing and aromas! _Athos sighed in defeat, his only comfort being to check for the time.

_Eventually_, to Margaret's great dismay, the duty to escort her around town finally finished and Athos was free to return back to the garrison.

"Wait!" Margaret screeched, pulling on Athos' poncho for the hundredth time that day and forcing his tired body to comply.

His simmering pink eyes locked onto hers, the smallest revelations of fear and hatred peeking through for the first time that day.

"I have a present for you!" she exclaimed with glee, dragging him by the arm to her awaiting carriage, leaning inside to pull out a relatively small, satin brown box with an ugly green ribbon on it.

"Go on, take it" she demanded, frowning at his hesitancy to take it from her outstretched arms.

Slowly but surely, he responded, gripping the small box and feeling the slight weight inside.

"Now don't you open that until you return home, or else I'll have to purchase a new gift so you may be surprised" she warned, Athos nodding quickly in understanding.

_No way in hell would he open this box if it meant she would not return._

"Thank you, Madame, you are most kind. Now if you'll excuse me, I must retire for the evening" Athos ground out and turned on his heel, preventing his from replying or wasting any more of his time.

He reached the garrison in minutes flat, more than eager to step inside its safe, impenetrable walls, free from mad woman of abusive power and seductive intentions.

_At last! He was free! _Athos almost cried in glee, instead, turning his efforts towards the bar. _He was going to get well and truly drunk now, damn the hangover, he needed this._

Tossing the brown box idly on a free table, Athos ventured to the bar and purchased two bottles of wine before shuffling back to his seat and downing half of one before he remotely considered doing anything else.

"Athos? Is that you brother" a familiar young voice called from behind him, D'artagnan leading numerous sets of footsteps over to Athos' table, signalling the return of his brothers.

At first glance it was easy to see each man had endured a long day of heavy tasks, appearing tired and slightly groggy from their celebrations the night before causing them to nurse their lingering headaches with fingers to temples, an unhappy scowl turning to surprise as they fell heavily into their seats to stare in shock at Athos.

"Ah! It is you! My god man, I thought a jester had come to entertain us!" Aramis confided, surprise and glee lighting up his features as they all took a seat at the table.

"And I thought fancy pants over here was over doing the whole fashion thing" Porthos chuckled, eyeing Aramis offensive stance before turning back to take in Athos' style with wide eyes.

Athos glared at them each in turn, he felt proud for having survived this day, and it was a feat to be celebrated, not mocked. He refused to let them ruin the moment and so he ignored it when he felt D'artagnan picking curiously at the white cream covering his arm.

Frowning at Athos who refused to enlighten them or at least take the bait, Aramis drew his attention to the brown box on the table, lifting it to feel its weight before shaking it gently.

A small but noticeable squeal suddenly left the box at this moment, Aramis hastily dropping it back to the table in both fear and surprise, all eyes now drawn to the wrapped gift.

"Um…Athos…I don't mean to pry, brother, but… what's in the box?" D'artagnan questioned shakily, leaning away from the table slightly.

Athos narrowed his eyes at the box in question. "I don't know…" he answered honestly as he bravely reached out for the box and ever so slowly pulled at the ugly green bow that sealed it.

Porthos grasped his arm sudden, preventing him from acting further, "You sure you should be openin' it then?" he asked seriously, eyes darting from the box to Athos who continued to keep his eyes trained on it at all times.

"Well we can't exactly leave it here, now that we know it poses more of a live threat, now can we?" Athos stated, continuing to pull slowly.

The tense seconds crawled by as the brothers imagination ran away with them, drowning out the only fact they'd had thus far -of the strange noise- to replace it with lethal booby traps such as bombs, fire crackers, poisonous species and anything else they could think of that could fit into the small space.

Athos gently pried the lid off the box and four heads met in the centre of the table above the box, peering down and inside, one hand braced on the table, the other on the hilt of their swords.

Ready for anything.

**Intrigued? Any idea's to what's in the box? Let me know with a review! Until next time!**


	6. Live or Let Die

**So candy cakes did indeed guess it right, smarty pants ;) I hope you didn't predict the rest of it though! Enjoy! : )**

No one had been expecting what was inside the box. Not in the slightest. And so, each man simply remained bent over the box and staring at its contents.

Inside lay a puppy curled up into itself, its dark face contrasting its white body, short dark snout and floppy black ears suggesting its breed to be that of the fiest terrier, a popular dog found on local farms for its uses of catching pesky prey.

It was only a few weeks old too, judging by the size of it.

Large, curious brown eyes suddenly peered up at the bright intrusion and strange noises coming from the lid of its small home, curiosity marring its features.

"Ha! Well would you look at that!" Aramis managed to say, already reaching his hands towards the pup and scooping it out of the parcel and then taking a seat so he could delicately lay it down into the nook of his arm.

As he began petting its dark fuzzy head, it let out a small yawn, content with trusting this new stranger enough and snuggled its head down onto his arm, burying its small muzzle into his elbow -the adorable act drawing a warm smile from Aramis as he fell for their new friend.

Following by his example, the remaining brothers took a seat around the table, expressions transforming from one of surprise to melt into soft smiles, watching quietly as Aramis tucked his head into his chest and began talk to his friend softly.

Un-phased by the fuzzy creature now in their presence, Athos' practical mind forced a cold statement forward. "We must dispense of it."

Aramis' head snapped up to look at Athos, obvious astonishment and hurt showing on his face as his hand moved to cover the pups ears.

"What!? We cannot toss it out onto the streets!" he hissed, "It has barely arrived in this world -and yet _you _would be so cruel as to abandon it?" he scolded, disbelief in his tone.

"Yeah, Athos. What's _your _problem?" Porthos questioned, snapping out of his thoughts.

"How could you refuse that face anyway?.." he said more to himself than the others, the gentle giant within him crooning as he spotted the pup stretching its small paws outwards with another yawn.

"If I can put up with your combined mischief, then I can put up with a pesky, smelly mongrel" Athos retorted, eyeing the pup warily.

_He had loved dogs once. Other than his younger brother Thomas, his best childhood friend had been the beloved family pet. _

_Sure, it had been tough to train, leaving vile __'__parcels__'__ on the rugs and even ate his personal journal once but eventually, they had grown close and spent almost every waking hour together, venturing through the meadows, playing catch with sticks in the nearby streams, venturing into town to buy milk._

_But then one day, when his father had come home from a hunt, the dog had seemed different somehow. _

_They had found out almost too late that it had contracted a mad disease that had left it violent, barely managing to save young Athos from the jagged bite wound it left on his small arm or the ensuing fever it had caused._

_Hurt, betrayal, loss, fear. They seemed to follow him everywhere, regardless if they were man or beast _Athos thought gloomily in hindsight.

_No, he wouldn't go through that again if he could help it._

"I said-" D'artagnan reprimanded, clearing his throat to grab Athos' wandering attention, "-how about, we leave him with me for a few days and let you get adjusted to it. Perhaps you'll grow to appreciate our furry friend."

Athos stared through un-amused, half lidded eyes to his protégé.

"Be my guest! I'm certain that by the time this week is through, you'll be wishing you had cast it out as I had wisely suggested. But, I'll be nice and allow your lack of forethought to grant you this moment of comfort, for now" and with that Athos downed the remainder of his wine and set off for his bed.

Following Athos' back until he was no longer within their sight Porthos offered his arms out to Aramis and taking the snoozing pup from his arms, undeterred by his cranky brothers' theories.

"Well, im gonna go find this little fella a cozy place to stay for the night. I'll just go grab s'me milk -so he's got something to eat in the morning' an' then I'll follow you's lot up" and with that, he stood carefully and left the table to pursue his goals.

Now the only two men left in the place at such a late hour, Aramis cast a tired glance to an even more exhausted looking D'artagnan, "What say you lad, three days tops?"

D'artagnan stifled a yawn, a sleepy grin on his face, "Nah, two more like it. We all know Athos can't resist being the centre of attention."

Aramis smiled knowingly, " Here, here. Jealousy can do funny things to a mans' mind"

D'artagnans' charade broke as a yawn forced its way from his mouth, Aramis copying the motion in sympathy.

Slapping a friendly hand on his knee and slowly taking to his feet, Aramis helped his friend to his feet.

"Well, it looks like it is passed our bedtime brother. Perhaps it would be wise to get some well deserved sleep" he suggested, D'artagnan nodding mutely as he followed the older man to the stairs obediently, too tired to be his mischievous self.

**Hope you liked it! Let me know ;)**

**AN- in case you guys want a hand with the visualizing, I left a photo link for the puppy I was describing! (There is a reason I chose this breed btw, you will find out in due time ;)**

** : / / s - - -a k 0 . / 1 b / f 8 / 1 9 / . j p g**


	7. Name Calling

**So I'm going to continue to ploughing through this story -I hope im not going to fast for you guys but let me know if I am!**

**Anyways, here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoy -we're not far from the end now : )**

Come dawn, Athos could be found sitting in the courtyard of the garrison, lounging peacefully against a bench by the foot of the stairs, sipping idly at his brew as he watched the area come to life, not yet a care in the world.

Those cares suddenly stood to attention once more at the sight of his brothers entering the area, his passive face settling into a disapproving frown as he noticed they had not yet returned to their wits, their fuzzy companion bounding happily around their feet in the morning as they came towards him.

Sighing exasperatedly, he took a long swig from his wine tainted, morning brew and began mentally preparing himself for the nagging conquest his brothers seemed to have taken upon themselves until he accepted the pup.

"Good morning, Athos" Aramis began cheerily, patting his brother on the shoulder and taking his designated seat on the familiar bench.

"Is it?" Athos replied sarcastically, picking his feet up off the floor and putting them on the seat to avoid the curious pup.

Seeing it whine and jump on the floor at his brothers removed feet, Porthos groused, "Aw come on, Athos, don't be like this. What'd it ever do to you?"

Athos gave him a cold, flat stare, "I'm more worried about what its capable of doing" he answered honestly, then quickly took another long swig before his words could be questioned.

"Wow, looks like we're in for another hot day" D'artagnan stated, observing the clear blue skies and already feeling the humid air, walking out from the doors of the sleeping quarters and over the courtyard to sit by his lounging brothers.

As he neared, the playful pup took notice and darted over to his feet, his eager innocence forcing D'artagnan to bend to its unintended will of crouching and stroking its soft head.

"Indeed. We'd best stay in the safety of shade today- if we want to escape our outdoor duties in the blistering sun" Aramis added, a sly grin forming.

"We'll do nothing of the sort" Athos corrected, causing Aramis to roll his eyes unhappily_. _

_Ever the loyal soldier._

Sighing at the misfortune of having such an obedient friend, Aramis took a moment of silence before suddenly an idea caught his fancy and his features lit up dramatically.

"So, Athos, what are you going to call it?" he implored, leaning forward with a friendly shove and snapping the man out of his new day dreams.

Realizing he was being addressed, Athos blinked in confusion, "Call what?"

"The dog, duh" Porthos filled in sarcastically.

Casting a side glance to Porthos that could freeze running water, Athos looked back to Aramis, holding his silence indifferently so as to state his opinions on the matter.

However, it was when this relaxed attitude was copied onto his expectant brothers gazes as they patiently waited him out, that Athos finally became impatient.

Obliging their request for a remark -though probably not the one they wanted to hear, Athos rolled his eyes to the heavens, shaking his head minutely before stating, "I refuse to give him one. I will _not _become attached to this 'thing-'" he said, eyeing it in disgust as it scratched its ear with its hind leg "-nor should you" he advised.

"That's one hell of a long name, Athos" Porthos teased, making his brothers grin-bar the man himself, who shook his head to make it clear he was not amused by their antics.

"Yeah, we were thinking of something simpler -perhaps something to define his role?" Aramis joked with a smile, "Preferably a one syllable if you could" he pressed, daringly.

Taking advantage of the silence that was accompanying Athos' current stare down of his older brothers, D'artagnan suggested, timidly, "He could be the musketeer mascot?"

Greeted with a pointed stare, D'artagnan nervously explained himself, "Well, as mascot, he would gain us greater connections to the common man, adoration from fans and a fearsome logo when he's older" he finished with a half hearted shrug, not wanting to overstep.

When D'artagnan was again met with silence, he held the wriggling puppy against his face to look across at Athos with him, widening his eyes and trying to look sad as he mirrored the appearance of his adorable puppy friend.

_This would make a great marketing plot _D'artagnan thought to himself as he waited. _No one could turn this down, surely._

"I mean, how could you say no to this?" D'artagnan ventured, finally meeting the cold gaze of his mentor.

"Easy. No" Athos replied in a low, unhappy register, eyes peering intimidating through his brows against his foes to back up his argument before slowly returning to his brew -which he noticed was now fly infested- and so slammed it back down in frustration causing its contents to slosh onto the wood.

Just as frustrated as his mentor, if not more so, D'artagnan sighed angrily in defeat and lowered the pup to his lap.

Not quite done arguing, Athos suddenly added, "Besides, we already have a logo- the fleur de lis. We don't want to be represented by a weak, infant dog, if we are to uphold the image of strong, fearless warriors" he finished smartly.

"So what you're saying is a white lily is more ferocious?" D'artagnan growled daringly, "I'm learning something new from you everyday, brother" D'artagnan teased, half smirk on his face at the annoyance spreading across the others.'

At that moment, the pup began squirming in protest, its youthful energy demanding its release and forcing D'artagnan to put it down on the ground so it may circle around the table legs.

This proved to be a bad decision as the pup quickly got bored with its immediate surroundings and primary entertainment of biting at straws on the ground, casting its keen eyes around the area until they landed on the stairs, catching a glimpse of a fleeing rodent before hastily taking chase.

**Had to cut it here so it wasn****'****t 7 pages long! Hope you liked it, please leave a review and let me know! I****'****ll update again shortly : )**


	8. Typical Athos

**Thanks to the guest for your hilarious comment -I see the pesky connection! **

**Unfortunately I have already planned a name- though I****'****m sure you****'****ll still like it****…****or at least I hope you do!**

**Here****'****s the next chapter!**

Unaware the pup had fled the area, the four men continued on with their pointless argument, trading minor insults with one another and celebrating their victories with provocative grins.

"I know what you're doing here, Athos, and its not working" Aramis complained impatiently, shaking the mans attention from D'artagnan who was currently fixing his hair to demonstrate a point he'd made in some ridiculous argument or another.

"What!" Athos answered 'innocently.'

"You know what. You've evaded answering the whole point of this conversation -probably in hopes of distracting us from your responsibilities of naming the pup" Aramis rebuked, his theories earning a cold knowing stare from Athos, confirming his suspicions.

"Sneaky" Porthos added after a moment, narrowing his eyes at Athos in good humour.

"Yeah, so what's it gonna be, Athos?" D'artagnan drawled curiously, letting his hair droop and watching his mentors disgruntled expression.

"I've already told you-" Athos began.

"Yeah, yeah save it" they all said, rolling their eyes but waiting for an appropriate answer.

Relenting with a small sigh -and hoping that if he followed their whims he would be left in peace- Athos took a brief moment for half-hearted consideration, a slow smirk setting on his features when he'd found what he was looking for.

"Champ" he stated with finality, and sat back to gauge the reactions of his brothers' curious looks -yet refused to answer their obvious question.

"Well?" Aramis gave in with a frustrated sigh.

"Well what?" Athos countered.

"Is there any particular reason you called it champ?" D'artagnan tried, eyebrows raised at his oldest brother while he ignored Aramis who had promptly clapped a hand to his forehead at Athos' almost _painful _antics.

"Not really-" Athos replied, to their growing annoyance, "-you did put me on the spot after all" he accused.

"Spot! See that's a perfect dog name!" Porthos commented, elbowing Aramis as if to convince him to pressure Athos on the matter.

"Pish-posh. Spot is a common name not worth remembering" Athos stated, an air of aloofness to his attitude gaining him a look of offence from Porthos as his idea was so abruptly rejected.

"You should have called it Dart" D'artagnan said, "He'll no doubt grow up to be a fast pup" he finished, looking down as if to pet the very pup and noticing it missing.

"Excuse me a moment" D'artagnan broke in, swiftly leaving the table and bending over to check the ground carefully before spreading his search wider. The three brothers barely paid him any mind as they continued to trade unhappy glances with each other from across the table.

"Champ is a great name" Athos persisted, "-it represents winners, celebrations and merriment. Who doesn't like those?" he added smugly, cutting off Aramis reply with, "Besides, it is _my _dog, I get to name it."

Porthos rolled his eyes, while Aramis brows knitted together in sudden thought.

"Really, Athos? You're gonna pull the 'its mine card' after you refused to take 'im in" Porthos scolded receiving another shrug of nonchalance from Athos.

Suddenly Aramis leant forward, eyes alight and mouth hanging slightly agape, "Honestly, Athos!?" he stated rhetorically, sighing in exasperation.

"What?!" Athos demanded, now slightly alarmed but still annoyed by the disbelieving stare Aramis was giving him. _It seemed to accuse him of stupidity._

Aramis spread his arms in surrender as he looked over at confused Porthos before glancing back to Athos, eyes half lidded, un-amused.

"Its champ for short isn't it?" Aramis concluded, "-you know, for champagne" he explained, earning a 'Seriously!?' expression from Porthos who then chuckled and put a hand to his face.

"Athos you old alcoholic you" he chortled, Athos smirking ever so slightly, glad that his brother liked the name he had picked out.

At this moment, D'artagnan chose to return, pup in hand, rat in pups mouth.

Upon seeing the double package, Athos' eyes lit up, mind hard at work as ideas began to take hold in his mind.

As D'artagnan took a seat at the table, Aramis filled him in on the pups new name, his reaction being one of humorous denial as he placed 'Champ' on the table and tried to reason with Athos.

**Haha! Anybody else like the name as much as Athos? I do! Roughly two chapters left now guys, maybe one, so please leave a review!**


	9. Role Call

**Thanks for the reviews, you guys are truly great! Here****'****s the next and final chapter, enjoy!**

Not bothering to heed D'artagnans 'wise advise,' Athos kept his eyes locked on Champ as he padded across the top of the table towards him, stopping to drop the dead rat in his lap before backing up slightly to stare at Athos, wagging his tail expectantly.

Under normal circumstances, Athos would have been disgusted if a broken necked rat had been dropped into his lap; the saliva and crimson stains spreading across his breeches slowly.

_But these were not normal circumstances, _Athos acknowledged with a sly grin, _no, these were __**ideal **__circumstances -and he couldn't wait to test his theories._

Rubbing the pups fuzzy head for the first time with a real feeling of happiness spreading through his gut, Athos ignored the dumbstruck expressions of Aramis, Porthos and D'artagnan -all of whom were looking at him with a mixture of confused amazement.

_Athos was bi polar, _Aramis decided, rifling through his medical brain for an answer that would justify, or at the very least, explain the mans 360 degree turn about in behaviour.

As Athos stroked the pup, Champ returned the affection, jumping into his new masters arms and began to lick at his nose, making him laugh slightly.

This was certainly not the Athos they were used to seeing. Such a fearless fighter, such a practical gentleman, always serious, always emotionless…so… Porthos scrambled his brain as he looked for valid answers.

"See! He likes the name, don't you champ?" Athos rubbed in, talking more to his brothers than the pup itself, "Ever the clever fellow, aren't you?" he complimented, eyeing the dead rat on his lap again with a mixture of pride, appreciate and adoration.

"Might wanna tie 'im down lads, I think Athos has finally gone an' lost it" Porthos said seriously, shifting as if to move.

"Exactly _what _was in that brew of yours? D'artagnan teased, peering into the cup and grimacing at the floating insects squirming around on top while Aramis clapped him on the shoulder, "My thoughts precisely."

Ignoring their mocking banter Athos rose to his feet carefully and placed Champ on the floor at his feet, the pup rubbing at his boots affectionately.

"Come on, Champ" Athos called, a friendly smile on his face as the pup followed him obediently towards the stables, not a second glance back at his former protectors.

"Do excuse us boys, we have some unfinished business to attend to" Athos called from over his shoulder, a smirk on his face.

_It was eerie_, Aramis thought, _he much more preferred the moody Athos to the strangely happy one. It made him feel as if something bad were to happen._

"Trading places with Athos, I see" D'artagnan teased when he noticed the frowning look of worry on Aramis face.

"Bah, I'm just reasonably concerned" he argued, the comment causing Porthos and D'artagnan to pause and share a knowing glance, smirks on their faces.

"Now you sound just like him!" Porthos accused, forcing Aramis eyes from Athos' retreating back to glare at his brother, realizing that his expression was an exact replica of Athos' and gasped in horror.

"I will not accept these 'insults'" Aramis began, a smile forming on his face as he returned to his normal self.

"Therefore, I must challenge you fools to a duel" he mocked playfully, getting to his feet and pacing out into the open courtyard, unsheathing his rapier and taking an overly dramatic stance.

Laughing at his humour, the two brothers stood and drew their swords, continuing their idiotic charade as they traded insults and lunges.

**~o0o~**

As it turned out, man's best friend was a very helpful hunting companion, an expert tracker whose undivided attention could pick up even the quietest of sounds, faintest of smells and smallest of movements garnered great success.

_Athos supposed he could have adopted a feisty feline for the job but he was just as happy to have Champ run around the stables tirelessly, chasing and killing the annoying infestation of rodents instead of doing it himself._

_He could get used to this kind of thing _Athos thought, nodding with a smile as his prized pup and new best friend returned to his lounging position on a bale of hay, three rats dangling limply from his mouth, tale wagging with pride as it dumped them at his feet.

Taking a knee and stroking Champs head affectionately, Athos rustled through his pockets and produced a strip of jerky, one of the many tough rations carried by the musketeers on long journeys.

As Champ dug into his treat, Athos turned back to his position on the bale, a sly smile crawling up his face as he though about Porthos' reaction to his missing jerky stash.

**~o0o~**

Before long it was easy for the brothers to see that Athos had become enamoured with Champ -leaving bowls of warm milk in the stables for him while he tended to his horses, feeding it jerky at the end of each patrol they did together and even teaching it tricks in his spare time in the evenings instead of drowning his sorrows in drink.

And of course honing his skills as a musketeer mascot and part time rat catcher.

Champ surely had wormed his way into the family of brothers with his cuddly but rough play fights, puppy eyes and fierce demeanour whenever they met with red guards in the town square.

He was always loyal and always loving.

Aramis, Porthos and D'artagnan had already discussed how Champ seemed to be taking after his master, to a T -snickering behind Athos' back as his dog seemed to strut down the streets by his side, while Athos seemed all the more proud of him for even attempting it.

**And there you go, that****'****s the ending! I really hope you liked it! Thanks go out to those who reviewed/followed/faved, I really appreciate it! I****'****ve posted the first chapter of my monster story now, so if you****'****re interested, look it up and let me know what you think! Until next time!**

**End note- as you may have guessed during the story -but I did not mention for spoiler reason- I chose the terrier for its feisty but loveable traits and its primary background for hunting rodents- which served my purpose. Im secretly glad the breed produces an adorable puppy- it would have been awkward if I had to describe a really ugly mutt and have everyone go googly eyed over it ;) Alls well that ends well!**


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